Teach them the Constitution
If we hope to have our children uphold the Constitution, we must teach it. Yes, they learn some in the schools, but we can be a second source of knowledge. We can teach them the truth that this is a great, inspired document from God.
Ideas Families have Tried:
- Read the Constitution together.
Families can get one free booklet (with $3 shipping and handling) at several spots online, including https://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-pocket-constitution/ What a great goal—to read and discuss it together!
- A special Constitution Night each September, to celebrate!
September is Constitution month, since Sept. 17th is the anniversary of it’s signing. What a super reason to celebrate! We are free! And we have a Constitution to protect our Freedoms!
Our neighbors, the Graham family, like to invite another family over for FHE in September for a Constitution night. They ask each person to bring an interesting fact about America. They include a special patriotic reader’s theatre they found as a “family lesson” on the website for Constitution Week Celebration: http://constitutionweekusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/form-FamilyLesson2009web.pdf
Then comes a red, white, and blue cake for refreshments!
My sister’s family watches “A More Perfect Union: America Becomes a Nation” once a year. It is an exceptional film, researched and filmed by BYU about our beginnings and our constitution. http://findingaid.lib.byu.edu/viewItem/MSS%206837 (It is also available on Amazon.)
She found found “Constitution” graphs and charts that they review as a family. See Latter-day Family Resources http://www.lovetolearn.net/ . They also read together stories about the founding of our country and its constitution. In addition, they search for and read together in the Book of Mormon about the greatness of and the prophecies about America, the land of promise (some examples below).
- Sing about America and the Constitution.
The Barnetts taught their kids the Preamble, set to music. They found a well done version of the song at and had fun learning it together and sang it often. The inspiring words were there in their children’s heads forever! http://www.singnlearn.com/Item/331
The Hensons learned the Preamble as well, with hand signs to go with it! They sang together favorite songs about America.
- Learn the Stories of the Founding Fathers.
The Griffiths tell stories of the Founding Fathers and their struggle to come to a consensus on the ideas to use. They act out the stories, make up games, and celebrate the Founder’s birthdays during the year.
The Markhams made a simple family constitution of their own. As a family, they memorized parts of famous speeches, documents, and quotes of the great leaders of America’s past. One such quote is “Not one of all that sacred band died with a stain upon his name…there is not one to blush for.” (Introduction, p. xx Sanderson’s Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Old- 1848. Free online set of books of antiquity. A resource for unrevised opinions about the Founders.)
- Discuss Ideas:
The Scriptures teach us about America and the upstanding men God raised up to write our Constitution:
“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.” (Doctrine & Covenants 101:80.)
“This is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.” (Ether 2:12.)
“There shall none come into this land [he was speaking of America] save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord…
“… this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them.” (2 Ne. 1:6–7.) See “America’s Destiny” by Marion G. Romney https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/10/americas-destiny?lang=eng&query=america+land+of+promise
The Tanners discuss with their family a basic concept that is foundational to everything: “What are rights? (life, freedom to act in ways that do not harm others, and property, or the use of your life and abilities to earn, create, build, and develop things.) These come from GOD, who created us and gave us life, time, and abilities. We are accountable to Him for what we do with our lives, our time, our talents and property.”¹
Guy and Ginny Tanner demonstrate the idea of people’s law and ruler’s law using a fulcrum and a lever. They talk about finding a balance between anarchy and tyranny, between people and the government they share their power with and why.¹ (Explained in the analogy below.)
The Greens have discussed another basic concept: Would we ever use a gun to Force someone to do something? No. So would we ever want to vote to have the Government do something similar? Force is not God’s way. It is Satan’s way. People should be free to choose something, as long as it does not harm others or society.¹
My Favorite Idea:
- Use Ken Bennett’s The US Constitution Analogy:
Governments have Power. Where do they get this power from? Sometimes we think that the government gives us rights. But it is We the People who have the God-given rights, some of which we share with the Government, as outlined in the Constitution.
Electricity is also a power and so we can learn about power from electrical devices.
- The Extension Cord.
It transfers power from a Source (the Outlet) to Where we need to Use the Power (like lighting a lamp across the room).
A lot of people misunderstand and think that Governments give power to us as individuals. The Bill of Rights seems to give us these rights. No. Actually, it is “We the People” that transfer some of our God-given powers to Government. You cannot transfer power unless there is some power in the first place. Even to congress, there is extended some power that the people had in the first place.
For example, how can we give Congress the power to coin money? Well, prior to that, we had power to trade with one another, to barter. We gave some power to Congress to coin money to make it easier to exchange goods and services. It was a transfer of power from the People to the Government—the People had that power to begin with.
- The Surge Protector.
This is a power strip that limits the power. If too much electricity comes through it, it shuts down: “No, you can’t have that power.” Likewise, only certain powers are granted to government. In the Constitution, the 9th and 10th Amendments outline those powers reserved for the States. This seems to be what we have the most trouble with, limiting the power the Government assumes—they assume more than given in the Constitution!
The Bill of Rights spells out some of these limits: Concerning the Right to Bear Arms for example, the Bill of Rights states “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” And further, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…” It reserves some of the power for the States and for the People.
- The Splitter.
This Divides the power from one prong to three prongs.
In England, the King had all the power. Only one made all the laws and meted out all the punishments. But in America, we didn’t want just one group to have all the power, so we divided government into three Branches: the Legislative Branch, which makes the laws; the Executive Branch, which enforces the laws, runs the day to day government, and has the power to veto laws, and the Judicial Branch, which judges the laws to make sure they are constitutional.. These three branches check and balance each other.
Put these three elements together, and we have what the United States Constitution does.²
“The US Constitution” by Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Given originally at a Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet years ago. Share this informative 6-minute presentation with your family at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkvn6GMer3E
A modern day prophet said, “I marvel at the miracle of America, the land which the God of Heaven long ago declared to be a land choice above all other lands.
“I love America for her great and brawny strength. I love her for her generous heart. I love her for her tremendous spiritual strengths. She is unique among the nations of the earth—in her discovery, in her birth as a nation, in the amalgamation of the races that have come to her shores, in the strength of her government, in the goodness of her people.
“God bless America, for she is His creation.” –President Gordon B.Hinckley
Do you have an idea you use in your family? Please share it by commenting below or at marlene@theanswerismorelove.com.
¹Ideas from Marlene Hinton, PhD
² A special thank you to Secretary of State Ken Bennett for the use of his great idea.